Removing the roadblocks to promoting health equity: finding the social determinants of health addressed in standardized nursing classifications.

Providing 80% of healthcare worldwide, nurses focus on physiologic and psychosocial aspects of health, which incorporate social determinants of health (SDOH). Recognizing their important role in SDOH, nurse informatics scholars included standardized measurable terms that identify and treat issues with SDOH in their classification systems, which have been readily available for over 5 decades. In this Perspective, we assert these currently underutilized nursing classifications would add value to health outcomes and healthcare, and to the goal of decreasing disparities. To illustrate this, we mapped 3 rigorously developed and linked classifications: NANDA International (NANDA-I), Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC), and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC) called NNN (NANDA-I, NIC, NOC), to 5 Healthy People 2030 SDOH domains/objectives, revealing the comprehensiveness, usefulness, and value of these classifications. We found that all domains/objectives were addressed and NNN terms often mapped to multiple domains/objectives. Since SDOH, corresponding interventions and measurable outcomes are easily found in standardized nursing classifications (SNCs), more incorporation of SNCs into electronic health records should be occurring, and projects addressing SDOHs should integrate SNCs like NNN into their ongoing work.

Procedure Code Utilization for Vascular Access Device Placement in the Inpatient Setting: A Retrospective Analysis.

Vascular access (VA) is essential to inpatient care, and the documentation/coding practices for vascular access device (VAD) placement procedures remain unexplored. Accurate documentation may present benefits for patients, providers, and researchers. A retrospective analysis was performed in adult inpatients (2015 to 2020) using Cerner Real World Data™ to evaluate the utilization of CPT codes for VAD placement/replacement procedures. A total of 14,253,584 patient encounters were analyzed, 0.111 percent (n=15,833) of which received at least one VAD procedure code. Non-tunneled CVC procedures had the highest code rate (0.067 percent), while PIV/midline procedures were the least likely to be coded (0.004 percent). The annual proportion of code utilization increased from 10.9 percent in 2015 to 19.7 percent in 2020 (p<0.0001). Despite widespread use of VADs in the inpatient setting, the procedure coding rate was found to be remarkably low. Appropriate coding/documentation practices may ensure proper care by capturing VA-related patient history, and improve research quality and resource/staff allocation.

Vascular access teams: a global outlook on challenges, benefits, opportunities, and future perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Specialized vascular access training for medical professionals organized into vascular access teams (VATs) was shown to improve patient outcomes, clinical efficiency, and cost savings. Professional perspectives on VAT benefits, organization, challenges, and opportunities on a global scale remain inadequately explored. Using detailed perspectives, in this study, we explored the global VAT landscape, including challenges faced, clinical and clinico-economic impacts of VATs, with emphasis on underresearched facets of VAT initiation, data dissemination, and metrics or benchmarks for VAT success. METHODS: Semistructured in-depth interviews of 14 VAT professionals from 9 countries and 5 continents were used to elicit qualitative and quantitative information. RESULTS: Catheter insertions (100%) and training (86%) were the most performed VAT functions. Based on a 1-7 scale evaluating observed impacts of VATs, patient satisfaction (6.5) and institutional costs (6.2) were ranked the highest. VAT co-initiatives, advanced technology utilization (6.6), and ongoing member training (6.3) distinctly impacted VAT endeavors. Most institutions (64%) did not have routine mechanisms for recording VAT-related data; however, all participants (100%) stated the importance of sharing data to demonstrate VAT impacts. Time constraints (57%) emerged as one of the major deterrents to data collection or dissemination. The majority (64%) experienced an increased demand or workload for VAT services during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the global variances in VATs and gaps in VAT-related data, all participants unanimously endorsed the benefits of VAT programs. Evaluating the impact of VATs, disseminating VAT-related data, and forging specialized institutional partnerships for data sharing and training are potential strategies to tackle the hurdles surrounding VAT formation and sustenance.

Administration of Extended Infusion Piperacillin-TazobactamWith the Use of Smart Pump Technology.

BACKGROUND: For beta-lactams, the parameter that best predicts bacterial killing is the length of time the antibiotic concentration exceeds the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). Studies have demonstrated improved outcomes with extended infusion (4-hour) piperacillin-tazobactam (P-TZ) compared with traditional immediate infusions. OBJECTIVES: To describe how one institution made the conversion from immediate infusion of P-TZ to a 4-hour extended infusion utilizing an approved automatic therapeutic substitution, staff education, and smart pump technology, and to examine the impact of this conversion on patient length of stay and pharmacy costs. METHODS: With approval from the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T), Antimicrobial Stewardship, and Medical Executive Committees, the decision was made to automatically convert all P-TZ orders to a standardized 4-hour infusion given every 8 to 12 hours depending on renal function. The medical records of all adult patients receiving P-TZ during 12 months pre implementation and 24 months post implementation of a 4-hour extended infusion of P-TZ were retrospectively analyzed for length of stay and mortality. The cost of P-TZ was also assessed during these time periods. RESULTS: With the help of smart pump technology, our institution successfully completed a conversion to 4-hour extended infusion P-TZ. Through this conversion, pharmacy expenditure of P-TZ was reduced by 38%; the total cost savings was $387,980.62 for the 24-month postintervention phase. Extended infusion P-TZ reduced hospital length of stay by 0.6 days (P < .05), resulting in an additional cost savings of $1,689,480 for the 24-month postintervention phase. A conservative estimate of total cost savings to the hospital in the first 24 months, including the reduction in P-TZ expenditures, was $2,077,460.